I am going to talk today of the 7 deadly sins that dieters and people in pursuit of their dream physique make time and time again. This is the reason that 95% of people who lose weight will gain it all back again within a year or two.

1. Measuring progress by the weighing scales.

This is a very old one but it is mind boggling the number of people who continue to use the bathroom scales as a measure of their progress whether they embark on a diet or a combined diet and exercise regimen. You see the measure of scale weight tells you absolutely nothing about what you are losing! It could just be water weight! It could be muscle mass! It could be bone density! One of my favourite expressions that I use regularly with new clients (my regular clients are already savvy to this) is “if you want to lose weight then go to the moon”. The pull of gravity is less on the moon so you will weigh less instantly. Unfortunately your clothes will fit the same and your wobbly bits will still be wobbly. If you are not getting your body composition tested regularly using skinfold callipers and an experienced trainer then you have no idea if you are losing fat or not. It’s the FAT you want to lose folks.

2. Thinking you have to be hungry to lose fat.

Many people are under the impression that they have to starve themselves to get rid of the fat. If you are hungry, now real hunger as opposed to cravings, your body is telling you it requires fuel. If you ignore this signal the body will eventually lower your metabolism to protect itself. If it does so your basal metabolic rate drops and it’s this basal metabolic rate that’s responsible for the bulk of your calorie burning. Make no mistake there will be a back lash with this type of behaviour. Very low calorie diets will always create a rebound effect. You can only resist that hunger response for so long. It’s even more powerful than the drive for sex. Now that’s saying something!!

3. Adopting a very restrictive regimen like a liquid diet or no sugar ever or a fake food diet of bars and soups.

Whatever method you choose you had better be able to stick with it for the rest of your life. Another of my favourite expressions is “temporary efforts give temporary results”. Can you really see yourself following that meal replacement plan for the rest of your life? Are you enjoying the foods you are eating every day? If you don’t enjoy them now, what is it going to be like when the diet honeymoon is over? Foods supply us with more than calories and nutrients. You have heard of the expression “Food for the soul”. Food gives us nourishment on levels more than the physical. We use it to celebrate, lift our senses, and simply for the sheer hedonistic pleasure of it. If you deprive yourself of this you will suffer on a soul level and that aint gonna last very long before it spirals into a full blown eating disorder.

4. Expecting results too soon.

People usually put on weight or more correctly excess body fat over a period of years and in some cases decades. Expecting to just strip it off in 6 to 12 weeks may be unrealistic for some. Yes it can be done but only by those who have already a decent basic standard of health. I see people in my practice with severe gut issues, thyroid disorders, toxicity, bodies ravaged by years of executive stress and more!! Lucky me!! Just kidding. I LOVE to help my clients because I genuinely care for people. And one of the most caring things I do is tell people the truth. You have to get healthy FIRST then the fat loss will follow.

5. Not exercising or doing the wrong exercise.

Studies show that people are 4 times more likely to keep the weight off after losing it if they are exercising. Some types of exercise are more useful than others. If you have never exercised before then even going for a walk is better than nothing. Your body will adapt to this very quickly however so you need to up the ante. The single best method for changing body composition is weight training done in a planned progressive fashion with a highly qualified trainer. It will stimulate your basal metabolic rate as you will be progressively stimulating the building of lean tissue. See my articles on weight training for Women (most of the information also applies to men with respect to the benefits of lifting).

6. Following the latest dietary fashion instead of finding your own unique nutritional strategy.

I was just reading a review of Cameron Diaz’s new Body Book. Although the book may have come from a place of good intention the smugness of the author would probably irritate the living daylight s out of most nutritional coaches. Just because Cam Cams has found a nutritional approach that has worked for her body (most likely guided there by a nutritional coach herself) she makes the naïve assumption that she has discovered “The Holy Grail” of eating strategies. Any biosignature coach would know simply by looking at her physique that she is a species affectionately known as “The Carb tolerant Biaaaatch”. 1 out of 10 clients that I see in Ireland has this profile.

7. Being on a diet rather than adopting a lifestyle.

Somewhere between the body you desire to have and a lifestyle you love living lays your ideal body strategy. Sure you can bust your gut for 6 days a weeks, live like a monk and have no social life, never have a slice of apple pie again and be lean and mean or you can say screw the diet, party like an animal and wonder why you feel like shit about your body. Somewhere between those two extremes is a lifestyle you can have, maintain and enjoy forever. Maybe you can learn how to cook amazing nutritious meals that taste fantastic. Maybe 3 super quality training session a week is enough to get great results. Maybe you can find a way of moving your body that absolutely fun? Am I biased toward weight training? Yes! The reason being that it gives so much bang for the buck in all manner of results. What I am saying is there is more than one way to skin a cat. Finding out what works for you nutrition wise, exercise wise lifestyle wise is part of the journey towards Loving, Respecting and Honouring your unique needs. And it’s this Love, Respect and Honouring that is probably the most fat burning cocktail on the planet.